Get the Word out!

Sola Scriptura

This blog post is hopefully one of many that will discuss some of the foundational things of Christianity. These are things that I have been studying and thinking about a lot lately. They aren’t new at all. Most of them (if not all of them) are things that have been discussed/argued/debated about for centuries. They are things that every Christian should know about and it is my hope to that I’ll do them justice as I go forward.

I’m going to start with something that is extremely important to believers. In today’s day and time there are numerous belief systems. Some (like Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism) have been around for centuries. Others (Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Jediism) are rather recent. Some of these religions (Hinduism, Mormonism) have many gods. Others (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) have only one. Some even make claims to Christianity (Mormonism, Catholicism, JWs).

With the many different religions and the many different secular ideas vying people’s attention, it is vital that Christians understand what they believe and are able to articulate it. It is also important that Christians make sure that their beliefs line up with what scripture says. The different religious groups that make a claim to biblical Christianity (Mormons, JWs, Catholics) are very different in their own right, but they do have one in common – they all place something above the scriptures:

•             Jehovah’s Witnesses have a ruling body of 12-18 men that basically determine what all JWs believe and what doctrines they follow.
•             Mormons place a number of things above scripture. They have The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrines and Covenants that are all considered to be above the authority of scripture. They also have a president who is considered to be a prophet/apostle and the sole authority of the Mormon church.
•             Catholics have a ruling body called the Magisterium, which is headed by the pope. This group of men decides what Catholics have to believe (dogmas) as well as giving a specific interpretation of verses/passages in the Bible (which they don’t seem to have too many of). Catholics also claim to have what is called Sacred Tradition. For Roman Catholics this tradition is on par with (or above) the authority of the Bible.

Unlike the groups mentioned above conservative Protestant Christianity holds to a view commonly known as Sola Scriptura. This view and four others make up what is known as the 5 solas of the Protestant Reformation. These 5 solas are:

•             sola gratia – grace alone
•             sola fide – faith alone
•             soli Deo gloria – the glory of God alone
•             solus Christus – Christ alone
•             sola scriptura – scripture alone

Sadly, there are numerous church-going Christians who attend a Protestant church that have no idea what they’re protesting! The Protestant Reformation came as a result of the abuses of the Roman Church against the people in its flock. The Roman Church had been growing in power for centuries as authority was consolidated in Rome. The extent of this power was so great that they could forbid the celebration of the mass in the common language until 1967 and Vatican II. They also didn’t allow the Bible to be in the common language, which brought about the death of men like Jan Hus and William Tyndale. The focus of the Reformers was to bring the Bible to the people and to return scripture to its place of authority (among other things). This is where sola scriptura comes in.

Part of the problem is that many people don’t understand or know what the doctrine of sola scriptura actually is and they misrepresent it in their attacks on it. The doctrine of sola scriptura says that the scriptures found in the Protestant Bible are the ultimate infallible authority for Christian faith and living. There is nothing above them in terms of authority and everything that involves faith and living is judged by what the scriptures say. Sola scriptura is not the idea that the scriptures are the only authority. There are other authorities (parents, pastors, elders) that can help us to grow and mature in our faith, but even these authorities are subject to the scriptures. In Acts 17, the Bereans are commended for comparing everything that Paul preached to the scriptures. If this was commended when it happened to Paul, it should be no different today. We should be comparing everything we read and hear with what the scriptures say. If something doesn’t make sense, then we should go through the work/effort to make sure that we understand scripture correctly and then take another look at what we heard/read.

The Bible makes the claim to be the inspired Word of God early and often. The phrase “thus says the LORD” appears 413 times. In the very first chapter of the first book we see God saying something and it happening. From the lives of Adam to Abraham to Jacob to Moses, we see God speaking to men. The prophets were the actual mouthpieces for God. In the New Testament, it’s no different. Jesus Christ, God made flesh, walked the earth for thirty-three and a half years teaching and preaching. When He died, arose, and ascended; He promised that He would send a comforter/helper in His place. This happened on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down and the church got its beginnings. The Holy Spirit inspired the scriptures to be written. When Paul writes his second letter to Timothy, he makes this clear:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Greek term for the phrase “inspired by God” is theopneustos, or “God breathed”. God Himself is the author of scripture. Of course there is the argument “but it was written by men!”. Yes…it was written by men. Over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents, by 40 different men from all walks of life (kings, priests, shepherds, government officials, musicians, fishermen, and doctors) as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. It was written in times of peace, times of war, times of exile; in numerous styles/genres. In spite of all of this, the scriptures are consistent in their teachings, unified in their stance on a myriad of issues, and unique in their historical accuracy and prophetic precision. It is for these reasons and many others that Protestants (sadly, not all of them) hold to the view of Sola Scriptura.

There are many reasons why people reject the idea of sola scriptura. For some it is a matter of power/fame. There are many worldly things to be gained by preaching a false gospel. Those who adhere to the Word of Faith (WoF) teachings believe that they can speak things into existence (like God did), claim wealth and riches as belonging to them “by fiath”, rebuke Satan, and command God to act on their behalf. None of this is based on a proper understanding of scripture and require that the teachers take the scriptures out of context. For others, it is a matter of ignorance. They don’t believe in sola scriptura because they’ve never been taught it. No one has taken the time to show them both the importance and the wonder of the revelation of the scriptures. The last group we’ll talk about are those that reject sola scriptura out of pride. These people believe that they know better than God does. Some may even claim to hold to what the Bible says; but then their beliefs are compared to the scriptures taken in context, they don’t stand up to the scrutiny. Others believe that they are free to interpret the scriptures by their own feelings or “promptings”. Unfortunately, this is all to common in churches today:

- “What does this scripture say to you?”

- “I believe that this scripture says  God is a God of love and that He only wants the best for me.”

They read into the text their own biases and beliefs, thereby making God love what they love and hate what they hate. If they are ok with homosexuality, then so it God. They will ignore that fact that in both the Old and New Testaments God calls it an abomination or unnatural (Leviticus 18:22/Romans 1:16-32/1 Corinthians 6:9-10). If they believe that something is unjust, so does God. Many of those doing this fail to realize that it is no different than going outside, picking up a stone or a slab of wood, and carving a god to suit themselves – it’s idolatry.

The sad part about all of this is that it causes confusion in both the church and the world. The new Christians get confused because they don’t see a consistent view and aren’t taught that scripture is clear the majority of the time. The world is confused by this as well and they mock the idea that an all-powerful God would have such a schizophrenic bride. Not to mention the fact that it places burdens on people, discourages them, and obfuscates the truth. The scriptures are the very revelation of God! He has revealed Himself in them and given us a solid foundation to build our lives on. They are deep and life-giving. They satisfy the soul, bring peace to the fearful, and comfort the hurting. They are (for the most part) easily understood and change lives through their application.

It is my prayer that the churches around the world that have abandoned the authority of scripture to would repent and return to the ultimate authority found in the scriptures. I pray that those that hold to doctrines that can’t be found in scripture would stop muddying the waters and start preaching what they really say, regardless of how difficult it may be to accept. Through this, God will be glorified and Christ will be lifted up. The world will see and hear the truth of God and be forced to recognize Him alone as God.